Fiolar

Let me state from the beginning that I am from Northern Ireland - born and raised in County Armagh.

I'd like to challlenge you on your final comment.

Northern Ireland is not an "excuse for a state" - though it is in a bit of a sad state.

What people forget when they make comments such as you've just made is that around a million people live in Northern Ireland and the vast majority of these people, despite possibly having deeply-held political beliefs, just want to get on with their lives in the same sort of relative peace enjoyed by our neighbours in, let's say, Scotland or England.

To suggest that Northern Ireland deserves to be abandoned or banished as a result of the actions of a very small minority of psychopathic hoods is simplistic in the extreme.

As, no doubt, will be a large number of the posts in this thread. It pisses me off when people from outside Northern Ireland start to discuss matters such as this, with no real knowledge of what it feels like to live in Northern Ireland. Can I suggest that if you wish to post to this thread consider the feelings of those people who live within Northern Ireland and who might read your post. We don't need to be patronised again and again by people who just DON'T KNOW!! (A few people who posted to the last such thread talked the biggest load of shite I have ever read!)

Remember, this is a music forum. Lots of people who contribute to the threads know a lot about music. It doesn't follow that they know anything about complex political problems and how to go about resolving them. So if you feel you have something useful or positive to say then obviously you should contribute. But if you merely wish to rub the noses of myself and fellow Northern Ireland 'catters in it, then give it a rest. Things are fucking bad here at the minute and it's hard enough without bucketmouths stirring things up even further.